Camden man arrested in counterfeiting scam

A 40-year-old Camden man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly used counterfeit money to buy a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) investigators and the U.S. Secret Service also seized $4,930 in counterfeit currency at Ryan Scott Jordan’s Hasty Road home, according to Sheriff Jim Matthews.

Deputies were called to the McDonald’s restaurant in Lugoff Sunday regarding an altercation. When they arrived, they found two civilians -- one a firefighter -- had subdued Jordan after another man accused him of passing counterfeit bills. Jordan also used a counterfeit bill at the McDonalds to obtain a Happy Meal. He was arrested at the scene for public disorderly conduct and for providing false information to law enforcement, Matthews said. KCSO investigators questioned Jordan and placed a hold on him for forgery.

On Monday, KCSO investigators contacted the U.S. Secret Service office in Columbia and a Secret Service agent began working with the KCSO. The officers conducted a search at Jordan’s Camden home and discovered approximately $4,930 in counterfeit currency along with equipment used to manufacture the fake $100, $20, $10 and $5 bills. Jordan was interviewed by a KCSO investigator and the Secret Service agent and confessed to passing counterfeit bills in North Carolina, Georgia, Kershaw, Richland, Aiken, Lexington and Florence counties.

According to the Secret Service agent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbia will prosecute this case in federal court. Jordan is currently incarcerated at the Kershaw County Detention Center on forgery charges, pending additional federal charges by the Secret Service.